India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has accused the opposition Congress party and its allies of seeking to bring down Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government through a Bangladesh-style uprising, invoking the student-led mass movement that toppled Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi on Friday, Singh alleged that opposition parties were using youth-led protests to create disorder and pursue regime change rather than address electoral concerns through democratic means.
His remarks came amid large protests in the Indian capital by opposition parties and civil society groups demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Opposition leaders have questioned the transparency of the exercise and warned that it could exclude eligible voters.
Singh claimed that the Congress and its allies had openly drawn inspiration from Bangladesh’s political upheaval and were seeking to undermine India’s constitutional institutions.
“They openly say at press conferences that they have drawn inspiration from Bangladesh for regime change, while another speaks openly about bringing down the government,” he said.
He alleged that their agenda was to weaken democratic institutions and create unrest across the country.
The defence minister said political leaders should channel young people’s energy into constructive activities and nation-building instead of confrontation.
“It appears that the Congress and its political allies, directly and through their supporting organisations, are trying to use the energy of the youth to fuel political confrontation and spread anarchy instead of channelling it towards constructive work and nation-building,” he said.
“The youth of the country are being made pawns in the politics of anarchy,” he added.
Singh maintained that democratic rights did not give any political party the licence to create disorder or undermine constitutional institutions.
Referring to Mahatma Gandhi’s decision to suspend the non-cooperation movement after the violence at Chauri Chaura, he accused the Congress of abandoning the principles of its political legacy.
He alleged that the party was seeking to avenge its electoral defeats by promoting what he described as “violence and anarchy”, calling this a serious decline in its moral values.
“The Congress wants to push the country into the fire of violence and anarchy and is dreaming of creating a situation similar to Bangladesh,” Singh said. He added that the party had lost the moral right to invoke Gandhi’s name.
Singh also argued that references to “regime change” showed that the opposition campaign went beyond electoral reforms and objections to the SIR process.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s observations on petitions concerning the electoral roll revision on Thursday, he urged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his allies to respect the country’s democratic institutions.
“Respecting the law is also essential to maintaining law and order. India’s democratic institutions cannot be sacrificed at the altar of political self-interest,” he said.
He accused the opposition of using allegations, anger and political opportunism to discredit institutions and obstruct the country’s development. Singh urged Gandhi to respect the people’s mandate and reconsider his political approach.
“India’s future is everyone’s responsibility. We must choose the path of dialogue and nation-building, not confrontation,” he said.
The minister also challenged the Congress’s allegations of vote theft, arguing that its electoral record raised questions about its claims.
He noted that the party had not secured a parliamentary majority on its own since 1984 and said it last formed a government in Uttar Pradesh in 1985.
“At that time, the BJP was a party with just two seats. Was it vote theft or failure to deliver? Rahul Gandhi should answer this,” Singh said.
Dismissing Gandhi’s description of the alleged electoral irregularities as a “hydrogen bomb”, Singh claimed that the charge had failed to make an impact.
He also alleged that the Congress had not filed a formal appeal against the electoral rolls and therefore lacked evidence to substantiate its accusations.
Singh further questioned the Congress’s handling of elections following the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, challenging the decision to postpone polling nationwide rather than only in the constituency concerned.
He also questioned the party’s political standing in Uttar Pradesh, where it has been out of power since 1989, and asked whether it could win the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat without support from the Samajwadi Party.
Referring to recent clashes among Congress leaders in Uttar Pradesh, Singh asked whether the BJP could be held responsible for divisions within the state unit.
The defence minister also defended the Modi government’s record, saying India’s international standing had improved and the country had become one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies.
He added that domestic defence production had risen and India had emerged as an exporter of defence equipment.